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Shelling hits Baghdad Green Zone as Sadr resignation stirs deadly clashes

Iraq's popular Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr is said to have announced a hunger strike after resigning from politics amid a months-long political logjam.

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al Sadr breach the Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq on August 29, 2022. (Thaier Al-Sudani / Reuters)

Shelling has targeted Baghdad's high-security Green Zone after Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr said he was quitting politics, sparking chaos in which at least 15 of his supporters were killed. Tensions have soared in Iraq amid a political crisis that has left the country without a new government, prime minister or president for months, and escalated sharply after Sadr's supporters stormed the government palace following their leader's announcement on Monday. At least seven shells fell in the high-security Green Zone, which houses government buildings and diplomatic missions, the security source said late Monday on condition of anonymity. It was not immediately clear who was behind the shelling, which was followed by the sound of automatic weapons being fired in the Green Zone. The security source said Sadr's supporters opened fire at the Green Zone from the outside, adding that security forces inside "were not responding". Sadr is said to have announced a hunger strike until the violence and use of weapons stops, Iraq's state news agency INA and state TV reported late on Monday. There was no immediate confirmation from Sadr's office. READ MORE: Iraq’s top judicial body suspends activities as Sadr supporters protest Green Zone under siege Shots were fired earlier in the fortified area, an AFP correspondent said, and medics said 15 Sadr supporters had been shot dead and 350 other protesters injured – some with bullet wounds and others suffering tear gas inhalation. Witnesses said earlier that Sadr loyalists and supporters of a rival Shia bloc, the pro-Iran Coordination Framework, had exchanged fire. The Framework condemned an "attack on state institutions", urging the Sadrists to engage in "dialogue". The army had announced a nationwide curfew from 1600 GMT. Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al Kadhemi said "security or military forces, or armed men" were prohibited from opening fire on protesters. Calling the earlier developments "an extremely dangerous escalation", the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) urged "all" sides to "refrain from acts that could lead to an unstoppable chain of events". The United States also urged calm amid the "disturbing" reports of unrest in Baghdad. Protests spread to other parts of the country, with Sadr followers storming government buildings in the cities of Nasiriyah and Hillah south of Baghdad, an AFP correspondent and witnesses said.

Supporters of Iraqi populist leader Muqtada al Sadr swim after they breach the Republican Palace in protest in Baghdad's Green Zone in Iraq on August 29, 2022. (Alaa Al-Marjani / Reuters)

Shortly after he made his surprise declaration, Sadr's followers burst into the Republican Palace in Baghdad, where cabinet meetings are usually held. Inside the palace, protesters lounged in armchairs in a meeting room, some waved Iraqi flags and took photographs of themselves, and others cooled off in a swimming pool in the garden. Sadr – a grey-bearded preacher with millions of devoted followers, who once led a militia against American and Iraqi government forces – announced earlier on Twitter he was stepping back from politics. "I've decided not to meddle in political affairs. I therefore announce now my definitive retirement," said Sadr, a longtime player in the war-torn country's political scene, though he himself has never directly been in government. He added "all the institutions" linked to his Sadrist movement will be closed, except the mausoleum of his father who was assassinated in 1999, and other heritage facilities. His latest statement came two days after he said: "all parties" including his own should give up government positions to help resolve the political crisis. His bloc emerged from last year's election as the biggest, with 73 seats, but short of a majority. In June, his lawmakers quit in a bid to break the logjam, which led to the Coordination Framework becoming the largest bloc in the legislature. For earlier updates on Sadr's resignation and protests, read here Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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Shelling near Ukraine nuclear plant fuels disaster fears

Russia’s plan to expand the size of its military is “unlikely” to have an impact on its war on Ukraine, UK's Defence Ministry assessed as the war enters 187th day.

A Russian military convoy is seen on the road toward the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia region in territory under Russian military control in southeastern Ukraine, on May 1, 2022. (AP)

Monday, August 29, 2022 Shelling near Ukraine nuclear plant fuels disaster fears Russian forces have pounded Ukrainian towns across the river from the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, officials said, while reports of shelling around the facility fuelled fears of a radiation disaster. Captured by Russian troops in March but run by Ukrainian staff, Zaporizhzhia, Europe's largest nuclear power plant, has been a major hotspot in the six-month conflict with both sides trading blame for recent shelling near the plant. Russian forces fired at Enerhodar, the city where the plant is located, the chief of staff of Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said late on Sunday on his Telegram channel alongside a video of fire fighters dousing burning cars. "They provoke and try to blackmail the world," chief of staff Andriy Yermak said. Russia, Ukraine trade claims of nuclear plant attacks Russia and Ukraine have traded claims of rocket and artillery strikes at or near Europe's largest nuclear power plant, intensifying fears that the fighting could cause a massive radiation leak. Ukraine's atomic energy agency painted an ominous picture of the threat on Sunday by issuing a map forecasting where radiation could spread from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which Russian forces have controlled since soon after Moscow's Ukraine war began. Attacks were reported over the weekend not only in Russian-controlled territory adjacent to the plant along the left bank of the Dnieper River, but along the Ukraine-controlled right bank, some 10 kilometres from the facility. Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said Ukrainian forces had attacked the plant twice over the past day, and that shells fell near buildings storing reactor fuel and radioactive waste. In another apparent attack, Russian forces shot down an armed Ukrainian drone targeting one of the Zaporizhzhia plant's spent fuel storage sites, a local official said. Russian troop expansion ‘unlikely’ to impact Ukraine war – UK Russia’s plans to expand the size of its military is “unlikely” to have an impact on its war on Ukraine. Britain’s Defense Ministry said in its latest intelligence update on the war that it was unclear whether Russia would make the increase by more recruitment or by rising the conscription. “In any case, under the legislation currently in place, the decree is unlikely to make substantive progress towards increasing Russia’s combat power in Ukraine,” the statement said. “This is because Russia has lost tens of thousands of troops; very few new contract servicemen are being recruited; and conscripts are technically not obliged to serve outside of Russian territory,” read the British statement. US blasts 'cynical' Russia for blocking UN nuclear text The US State Department said that Russia did not want to acknowledge the grave radiological risk at the south Ukraine plant and had blocked a draft agreement on nuclear non-proliferation because it mentioned such risk. "After weeks of intensive but productive negotiations, the Russian Federation alone decided to block consensus on a final document" at the conclusion of the four-week NPT review conference, State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said in a statement. He said Moscow's move was done "in order to block language that merely acknowledged the grave radiological risk at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine," a major atomic facility that is currently occupied by the Russian military. For live updates from Sunday (August 28), click here Source: TRTWorld and agencies

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Concerns grow as Kiev, Moscow trade blame over shelling near nuclear plant

The UN Security Council has held an emergency over the situation around Zaporizhzhia plant — Europe's largest nuclear facility — and warned of a "grave" crisis unfolding in Zaporizhzhia.

Backed by Western allies, Ukraine has called for a demilitarised zone around the plant and demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces. (AP)

Kiev and Moscow have exchanged blame for fresh shelling around Europe's largest nuclear facility, with the strikes raising fears of a nuclear catastrophe.

The Zaporizhzhia plant in southeastern Ukraine has been occupied by Russian forces since March and has come under fire repeatedly in the past week. It dominates the south bank of a vast reservoir on the Dnipro river.

During his televised address on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of nuclear "blackmail" and using the plant to "intimidate people in an extremely cynical way".

"They arrange constant provocations with shelling of the territory of the nuclear power plant and try to bring their additional forces in this direction to blackmail our state and the entire free world even more," Zelenskyy said.

Backed by Western allies, Ukraine has called for a demilitarised zone around the plant and demanded the withdrawal of Russian forces. Kiev accuses Moscow of basing hundreds of soldiers and storing arms there.

In his address, Zelenskyy added that Russian forces were "hiding" behind the plant to stage bombings on the Ukrainian-controlled towns of Nikopol and Marganets.

"Every Russian soldier who either shoots at the plant, or shoots using the plant as cover, must understand that he becomes a special target for our intelligence agents, for our special services, for our army," Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom warned residents in the city of Energodar, where the plant is located, to stay off the streets as much as possible to avoid Russian shelling.

"According to residents, there is new shelling in the direction of the nuclear plant...the time between the start and arrival of the shelling is 3-5 seconds," Energoatom said on Saturday in a message shared on Telegram from a local chief in Energodar city, which remains loyal to Kiev.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OwUG_hYrV4[/embed]

Russia-backed officials blame Ukraine

But pro-Moscow officials in the occupied areas of Zaporizhzhia blamed the shelling on Ukrainian forces.

"Energodar and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant are again under fire by Zelenskyy's militants," said Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Moscow-installed administration.

The missiles fell "in the areas located on the banks of the Dnipro river and in the plant", he said, without reporting any casualties or damage. The river divides the areas occupied by Russia and those under Ukraine's control.

Ukraine said the first strikes on August 5 hit a high-voltage power cable and forced one of the reactors to stop working. Then strikes on Thursday damaged a pumping station and radiation sensors.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak accused Russia of "hitting the part of the nuclear power plant where the energy that powers the south of Ukraine is generated".

"The goal is to disconnect us from the (plant) and blame the Ukrainian army for this," Podolyak wrote on Twitter.

The UN Security Council has held an emergency over the situation and warned of a "grave" crisis unfolding in Zaporizhzhia.

The International Atomic Energy Agency, which is seeking to inspect the plant, has warned of a nuclear disaster unless fighting stops.

Kiev has said for weeks it is planning a counteroffensive to recapture Zaporizhzhia and neighbouring Kherson provinces, the largest part of the territory Russia seized after its February 24 offensive.

Russian and Ukrainian forces earlier fought for control of Chernobyl, the still-radioactive site of the world's worst nuclear accident, also raising fears of a disaster.

Source: TRTWorld and agencies

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/concerns-grow-as-kiev-moscow-trade-blame-over-shelling-near-nuclear-plant/?feed_id=10671&_unique_id=62f8a039a7ef2

Shelling hits city across river from Russian-occupied nuclear power plant, Ukraine says

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is seen on August, 4, outside the Russian-controlled city of Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine. (Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters/FILE)

The "alarming" situation at a Russian-occupied nuclear power plant in southeastern Ukraine had reached a "grave hour," the head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog said Thursday, as he called for an immediate inspection of the facility by international experts.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned that parts of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant had been knocked out due to recent attacks, risking an "unacceptable" potential radiation leak.

"IAEA experts believe that there is no immediate threat to nuclear safety," but "that could change at any moment," Grossi said.

"Any military action jeopardizing nuclear safety, nuclear security, must stop immediately," he added. "These military actions near to such a large nuclear facility could lead to very serious consequences."

Ukraine and Russia blame each other: The Zaporizhzhia facility — the largest nuclear plant in Europe — occupies an extensive site on the Dnipro river near the Russian-occupied city of Enerhodar. It has continued operating at reduced capacity since Russian forces captured it early in March, with Ukrainian technicians remaining at work.

Russia and Ukraine have so far been unwilling to agree to an IAEA inspection of the plant and have accused each other of shelling the facility — action the IAEA has said breaches "indispensable nuclear safety and security pillars."

Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia on Thursday blamed Ukraine for the shelling and urged Kyiv's supporters to stop attacks and prevent a disastrous radiation leak.

But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pointed the finger at Moscow, which he said was putting all of Europe in danger.

"Only the complete withdrawal of Russians from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the restoration of Ukraine's full control over the situation around the plant will guarantee the restoration of nuclear safety for all of Europe," Zelensky said.

More shelling: Ukraine's nuclear agency Energoatom said 10 shells landed near the complex on Thursday, preventing a shift handover.

"For the safety of nuclear workers, the buses with the personnel of the next shift were turned back to Enerhodar," the agency said. "Until the situation finally normalizes, the workers of the previous shift will continue to work."

Energoatom said radiation levels at the site remained normal, despite renewed attacks.

Read the full story here.

Source https://www.globalcourant.com/shelling-hits-city-across-river-from-russian-occupied-nuclear-power-plant-ukraine-says/?feed_id=9880&_unique_id=62f60e492f0e3

Ukraine shelling causes ammonia leak in Donetsk – separatists

Fast News

Fierce fighting between Moscow and Kiev continues in eastern and southern territories on day 169 of the conflict even as both sides trade blame for imperiling Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant with attacks nearby.

Smoke rises after the shelling of a brewery during the Ukraine-Russia fighting in the city of Donetsk. (Reuters)

Thursday, August 11, 2022

Pro-Russia rebels: Ukraine shells brewery, causing ammonia leak in Donetsk

Pro-Russian separatists have accused Ukraine of shelling a brewery in the occupied eastern city of Donetsk, killing one person and triggering a leak of ammonia, Interfax news agency reported.

The emergency ministry in the Russian-backed self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said a shell had hit an ammonia line late at night, sparking a fire that at one point covered 6,500 square feet.

Pictures from the scene showed flames lighting the sky above one part of the city as well as firefighters donning masks. One picture appeared to show a corpse on the ground.

For live updates from Wednesday (August 10), click here